
On this day in 1977, Shaun Elliott made his Sunderland debut in an FA Cup match versus Wrexham. Kevin Arnott also made his debut in the same game.
Shaun was playing for the junior side in Haydon Bridge and had decided on signing for us, thanks to being spotted by legendary scout Charlie Ferguson, when his coach, lifelong Sunderland fan David Tulip, was approached by the mags as they attempted to hijack the move – despite them deeming him unacceptable in an earlier trial. It was David who made first contact with Sunderland after the initial trial with Newcastle didn't work out, so that's how Charlie Ferguson got to know about Shaun. David was proud of the part he played in the move, with Charlie coming to see Shaun play and taking things from there. Obviously he was shocked when Newcastle approached him. Of course he had to mention it to Shaun and his family, but fortunately Shaun had already decided to stick with his decision to sign for Sunderland and the rest is history.
He turned pro in 1975 and made his debut just before his 20th birthday in an FA Cup replay defeat against Wrexham two years later. He, fellow debutant Kevin Arnott, and Gary Rowell then became the Three Amigos of Jimmy Adamson’s fight against relegation as they provided a new heartbeat to the team for the rest of the season. That fight may have ended in controversial failure, but Shaun’s performances in central defence, and occasionally in midfield, became a mainstay of our side for almost ten years. His partnership with Jeff Clarke, particularly in 79-80, was a joy to behold and his football brain was there for all to see – he even scored twice in a 5-0 victory over Watford. Deceptively quick, his positional sense was such that he rarely needed to use his speed, but it was there when needed, and there were three England B caps along the way. Like many of his contemporaries, he spent the summer of 81 in the USA, with Seattle Sounders, when clubs were happy for their precious stars to earn a few bucks abroad.
An accumulation of disciplinary points meant that Shaun missed the 1985 League Cup final against Norwich, despite an appeal by the club – how history could have been so different had that appeal been successful! A year later, and incoming manager Lawrie Mackemenemy did the unthinkable and sold Shaun instead of building the team around him. Mad, just mad, considering how Shaun had been able to form a solid partnership with whoever he was alongside - Jeff Clarke, Jackie Ashurst, Gordon Chisholm, Gary Bennett. Ironically, after his 368 games and eleven goals for the Lads, he joined Norwich, but he made only 31 league appearances due to injuries in his two seasons there. He featured in the majority of the games Blackpool played during his two years beside the sea, then joined Colchester in March 1991. He almost immediately took a summer job with Albany Capitals in New York state, playing 13 times and helping them to second place in the ASPL (don’t ask) and the playoff final.
Back at Colchester, he guided his side to the Conference championship in 1992 in his only full season there before coming “home” to Gateshead. He wound down his playing days across the Northern League with Durham, Whitley Bay, and Bishop Auckland where he was the epitome of the wise old head – the knees and the pace might have gone, but the brain and the touch were still very much in evidence.
After football, Shaun worked in the motor trade, and made the news in early 2015 when he suffered chest pains at home in Norfolk and paramedics discovered a blood clot, with their swift actions proving life-saving.
A proper, cultured centre half.